The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston Is Celebrating Our 175th Anniversary!
On July 19,1850, the Holy See established the Diocese of Wheeling, a region that would include all of what is now West Virginia except for the eastern panhandle, and it would also include the section of present-day western Virginia.
Four days later, on July 23, 1850, Blessed Pope Pius IX named Bishop Richard Whelan as the first bishop for the diocese. Whelan an ambitious evangelist was Bishop of Richmond and was instrumental in convincing the Church hierarchy in Baltimore to divide the Diocese of Richmond by the natural barriers of the Allegheny Mountains.
The 175th will be celebrated through July 2026. A Mass honoring the establishment of the diocese will be held at noon on August 22nd at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, which happens to be the sixth anniversary of Bishop Mark Brennan’s installation as the ninth bishop of the diocese.
Faithful from across the state rang in the anniversary officially with the tolling of bells at 7:19 pm., Saturday, July 19th.
This symbolic act of unity the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Wheeling, the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in Charleston, and various parishes and missions in all reaches of the Mountain State will toll their bells at 7:19 pm this evening to run in the jubilee anniversary year!
Anchored in hope and love of Christ, let us celebrate our diocese, honor the past, and pray for the future.
